Student motivation continues to be one of the most persistent challenges in today’s classrooms. Many traditional approaches (rewards, consequences, and grading systems)are producing diminishing returns, leaving teachers frustrated and students disengaged.
This session reframes motivation as something that is built through intentional classroom systems rather than something students either have or do not have. Grounded in the research and framework of The Will to Learn by Dave Stuart Jr., this session focuses on four key drivers of motivation: credibility, value, efficacy, and belonging.
Participants will examine how these drivers show up in real classrooms and how small, intentional shifts in instructional practice and classroom structure can significantly impact student engagement and effort.
Objectives:
1.) Understand the four key drivers of student motivation: credibility, value, efficacy, and belonging
2.) Identify common classroom practices that unintentionally decrease student motivation
3.) Analyze real classroom examples and strategies that increase student engagement and effort
4.) Help teachers develop a simple framework for evaluating and adjusting their own classroom practices
